Page 14 of Someone I Chose

Jay shrugged. “Any drab story on your part?”

“Oh, no.” Neha laughed. “I’ve had a couple of boyfriends who balked once they met my father.”

Jay turned to watch her intently. It took a minute or two for the penny to drop, but when it did, Neha blanched. “That is about as drab as your story, is it?”

Jay nodded.

CHAPTER NINE

When Jay came back from work, he brought a gift for Neha: one of those burner phones from the general store. “You need to talk to some people. Nathan called last night because Shanae is in a frenzy since you dropped from the earth’s surface. Here are Nathan’s and Shanae’s numbers.”

“I should have called her long ago,” Neha admitted. She went to her room and called right away.

“Hello?” Shanae answered on the first ring.

“I’m sorry. I should have called.”

“True that. Are you really hiding out there in the mountains?”

“Yeah, and I love it!” Neha gushed about the picturesque town and the majestic mountains. She ended her praise with, “And there are eagles, too.”

Shanae chuckled. “So the most important things are the birds you’ve found over there?”

“They are glorious!”

“And what about your husband?”

“Oh, he…” Neha twisted the ring on her finger. What about her husband? She sighed, feeling that she might never find out what she felt about him.

“Hello? You’re still there?” Shanae called.

“Hmm? Yeah, sure,” Neha was quick to answer, but fell silent again, blinking rapidly as if that would help her think.

“Wait,” Shane yelled. “You’ve fallen for him, too?”

“What do you mean, ‘too?’”

Shanae stammered. “I assumed he had fallen for you.”

“Shanae?” Neha put as much warning into her voice as she could. Shanae was easily convinced.

And right, she confessed, “He told Nathan. And I spilled the beans. I guess now somebody is going to shoot me.”

“They’re both doctors,” Neha quipped. “They’ve got other means.” She hoped her snarky reply would take her friend off the track, and they would not have to talk about any big feelings. She’d need to process this revelation first.

“Very reassuring, thank you very much.” Shanae laughed. “So you are married. And you haven’t yet…”

So much for not talking about it. Neha shook her head, but then remembered her friend couldn’t see that and answered, “No, we haven’t.”

“But you will?”

Neha mumbled, “How am I supposed to know?” It was not all that easy, after all.

“I hope you don’t mind me doling out advice. Decide soon if you want a platonic marriage or not. If not, don’t wait too long. It’s going to be harder to decide with every week that goes by.”

Long after she had hung up, Neha sat by the window and looked out at the mountaintops. So she could leave Hallow Falls, divorce Jay, and start all over. That thought made her sick. Maybe that feeling was a clear sign? Or she could decide to stay here, make the marriage truly work, and fight for love. Whenever she thought of that last option, there was a fluttery feeling in her chest. But still—what did that imply?

After a long time sitting and thinking in circles, Neha got up to do something that might be a good idea either way: She dressed properly and went over to Mrs. Brennerman’s house to make amends. She asked for advice on gardening and found herself sitting in her neighbor’s parlor, studying books on gardening, and discussing options for the front yard.